Emile Durkheim Personal Information Social Environment Basic Concerns Intellectual Influences Ideas Research Contribution to Sociology
Personal Information
Born April 1858
Jewish section of Epinal, France
Family not wealthy but respected
Close-knit family
Taught secondary school
Personal Information
1887 first faculty appointment Introduced Sociology course Chair of the Dept. of Social Sciences 1896-1902 (University of Bordeaux) Married, 2 children (Son, Andre died in WWI) Durkheim died at age 59
Social Environment
Rapid industrialization Cities full of factory workers Conflict between workers & employees Example: Paris Commune (1871) Workers seized Paris Established egalitarian republic French government destroyed commune Killed 20,000 working-class people
Social Environment
History of Political Instability
Monarchy of Louis XVI
French Revolution (1789)
Dictatorship of Napoleon I (1799-1815)
Restoration of Bourbon monarchy
Bourbons overthrown (1830)
Social Environment
History of Political Instability (cont.) Monarchy of Louis Philippe
Revolution ended monarchy (1848)
2nd Republic (didn’t last long)
Emperor Napoleon III (1852-1870)
Nephew of Napoleon I
Deposed after defeat in Franco-Prussian War
Social Environment Durkheim lived in 3rd Republic Lost moral unity Remnants of previous governments People who supported: Democracy Monarchy Socialism
Basic Concerns
1) Instability
2) Violence
Economic Political Workers & employers Between nations Anti-Semitism
3) Decadence
Self-centered No sense of community
Sociology the Solution
1.
2. 3.
4.
Purpose of Sociology=Explain how to make modern society work. Develop positivist laws Solve problems Address moral crises Create stability
Social Solidarity Dynamic Density Social Facts Collective Consciousness Collective Representations Social Currents Society as a distinct social reality Individual as Dualistic
Social Solidarity
1) Mechanical Solidarity More primitive societies Minimal division of labor Few occupations Similarity bound people together
Social Solidarity
2) Organic Solidarity Advanced societies (industrial) Specialization Individuality Increased division of labor Individuals must rely on others Division of labor creates solidarity
Society & Social Reality Society
as a distinct form of social reality
Cannot
be reduced to biology or psychology
Society
is not the mere sum of its parts
Individual as Dualistic Individual
part: Bioorganic Inborn Self-centered
Individual as Dualistic Social
Part: Develops through socialization & interaction Altruistic Group oriented Needs nurturing & developing
Research Suicide rates are social facts. 4 types of suicide: 1. Egoistic 2. Altruistic 3. Anomic 4. Fatalistic.
Egoistic Suicide Low
social integration
Group solidarity declined Individual depend on self Excessive individualism
Examples of vulnerable groups:
Urban dwellers Industrial workers Protestants Unmarried men
Altruistic Suicide High
Excessive integration into group Completely absorbed by group Duty for benefit of group Examples: Honorable suicide (Japanese)
social integration
Prevent being captured by enemy
Modern society—Military
Anomic Suicide Low
social regulation
Breakdown of moral community No rules or vague rules
Examples:
Adolescents Older
white men
Fatalistic Suicide Excessive
social regulation
Too tightly controlled Few choices
Examples:
Slaves Married women when divorce not available
Social Facts
“Ways of acting, thinking, & feeling, external to the individual & endowed with the power of coercion, by reason of which they control him.” Independent of any single individual Can only be explained by other social facts.
Social Fact “A social fact is identifiable through the power of external coercion which it exerts or is capable of exerting upon individuals” (Durkheim, [1895] 1982, p. 56).
3. Social currents Not as clearly formed Examples: Enthusiasm in crowds Indignation in crowds Depression in particular social groups.
Collective Consciousness
The totality of beliefs & sentiments common to the average member of society Preexists & survives individuals.
Collective Consciousness
(cont.)
Experienced as an external force which shapes behavior. Varies from society to society based on the division of labor.
Collective Consciousness 4 dimensions
1. Volume=number of people involved.
2. Intensity=how deeply the people feel about the belief.
3. Rigidity=clarity of the definition.
4. Content=form collective consciousness takes.
Example of 4 Dimensions Marriage in Feudal Societies (Mechanical Societies)
Volume=Most people involved
Intensity=Felt deeply about it
Rigidity=Clearly defined
Content=Religious & economic.
Example of 4 Dimensions Marriage Today (Organic Society) Volume=Large
# but smaller %
of population Intensity=Feel less deeply Rigidity=Less clearly defined Content=Personal choice.
*** Collective Representations
Specific states of collective consciousness
Norms, values, & beliefs of various groups (e.g., family, schools)
Not reducible to or dependent on the individual Form a collective consciousness.
Social Currents
Different collective consciousness & representations produce different social currents.
Not as clearly formed as representations
Examples:
Enthusiasm or pity in crowds Depression & disillusionment in segments of society.
Anomie
Modern individual insufficiently integrated into society. Because of these weakening bonds, social regulation breaks down The controlling influence of society on the desires and interests of the individual is effective Individuals are left to their own devices.
Anomie
Because of the dual nature of human beings this breakdown of moral guidance results in: Rising rates of deviance Social unrest Unhappiness Stress
Anomie "The more one has, the more one wants, since satisfactions received only stimulate instead of filling needs" (1951, p. 248).
Contribution to Sociology Institutionalized Taught
Sociology
first sociology class
Defined
area of research (society)
Conducted
research to illustrate sociology’s usefulness
Contribution to Sociology
Set standard-research presentation Literature review Theoretical Testable Use
